My apologies for not posting yesterday but the day was long and I went to bed as early as I could! So here's a recap of what happened:
Day 3:
Cam and I started the day off in the bitter cold on the tandem and headed west from a small town just outside of Calgary. The roads were flat but there was a wicked headwind, something that I'm sure compares to the stories I've heard about Pemberton to Whistler... Our hour finished and I stayed out there. Getting onto my "Bumble Bee" I rode for another 3 hours until my next tandem shift. A solid performance from the other team members keeping a great pace and making great time through the foothills. Coming into Canmore was beautiful! The scenery is stunning and to have the time to glance around you on the bike makes you appreciate it that much more. Going into Banff there was a lot of construction so we slowed traffic to a crawl as there was only one lane open in each direction. That lasted 17 km's, all of which I was either on the tandem or solo! Finishing the leg into the BC border was pretty special. We met the new riders and were welcomed with some honking, cheering and lots of photos! After picking up the newbies, I had one more session on the tandem bike. They chose me for this section as it is one of the steepest hills on the BC trip. So for the next 45 minutes I guided our bike safely down the hills, maxing out around 65kph and into the final changeover for the day. 160km's isn't too bad for day one. Bring on day two!
Day 3: Golden to Salmon Arm - 250km's
The morning was laid back, people were in good spirits and the first team took off for what was going to be another great day on the bikes. The infamous Rogers Pass was just ahead and I wanted it - badly! On the 3rd shift I got onto my bike and started my day, pedalling for a good portion of today's ride I chose to begin a bit later. Up and up We all went and slogged out one helluva hill. 1330m elevation at the summit and from where we started it was about a 400 m gain in a short period of time. From that point the legs were warm and I was ready to ride for longer. Bombing down the pass was fun, then coming into Revelstoke was nice and relaxing. I took an hour break to calm down and eat some real food then prepared for my next 2 hours. So from revelstoke I rode to the
Shuswap Lake then up a monster hill similar to Seymour, only I was on the tandem! One pedal stroke after another and a few words of encouragement to my riding partner, we made it to the top and basically collapsed! We were exhausted, and I was totally fried. Today I clocked 170km's and 7 hours on a bike. 2 day total now is 330km's.
Tomorrow is the longest day for the BC team. 15 hours are planned to ride 355 km's from Salmon Arm to Hope. We have 2 major hills and lots of smaller ones. It should be exciting!
Next up, HOPE!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Day 1- Meet up with Team Cyclebetes in Calgary
This is the first post for the trip and it's coming via my iPhone... So bare with me in case things don't look pretty! As this is my second year with the team, seeing some old faces and reconnecting just made the day fly bye.
I was fortunately picked up by one of the support vehicles from the airport rather than biking to meet them, a good thing as my bag was fairly large and turning my head to check for traffic could have been tough. Once that was settled we drove to a park just outside of Calgary to set up a community bike ride and meet a local family to start a huge BBQ. I didn't get to ride today as it was only a 15km trip from the park to our campsite and changing into my gear for such a short ride wasn't worth it.
Tomorrow I'm slotted for the 7am ride on the tandem with my buddy Cam. Cam's a 19 year old professional downhill mountain biker and we rode together a lot last season so it should be a fast ride. Weather was good today but actually pretty cold. I'm expecting a chilly start to the day tomorrow however I brought all my winter riding gear which should keep me nice and warm.
And so the ride begins... 100km's tomorrow (or more)
On a side note, we stopped in to an awesome bike shop, Bow Cycles; this place was huge, had a wicked selection of equipment and the staff were very cool (didn't hold a candle to the Speed Theory team though). Check them out online as I can't upload my photo
I was fortunately picked up by one of the support vehicles from the airport rather than biking to meet them, a good thing as my bag was fairly large and turning my head to check for traffic could have been tough. Once that was settled we drove to a park just outside of Calgary to set up a community bike ride and meet a local family to start a huge BBQ. I didn't get to ride today as it was only a 15km trip from the park to our campsite and changing into my gear for such a short ride wasn't worth it.
Tomorrow I'm slotted for the 7am ride on the tandem with my buddy Cam. Cam's a 19 year old professional downhill mountain biker and we rode together a lot last season so it should be a fast ride. Weather was good today but actually pretty cold. I'm expecting a chilly start to the day tomorrow however I brought all my winter riding gear which should keep me nice and warm.
And so the ride begins... 100km's tomorrow (or more)
On a side note, we stopped in to an awesome bike shop, Bow Cycles; this place was huge, had a wicked selection of equipment and the staff were very cool (didn't hold a candle to the Speed Theory team though). Check them out online as I can't upload my photo
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
2010 has been one crazy ride!
I haven't written a blog in ages and so much has gone on. I've taken on a new job, had an amazing summer of training on my bike and competing in triathlons, been hiking all around Vancouver and even completed an insane one-day 14 hour total body exhaustion hike! So here we go...
Things in life happen for a reason - I'm a strong believer in that. I called up a friend to meet for coffee, show him my photos from travelling in Asia and the next thing I know, I've been offered an interview with someone in his company for a very coveted job. I went through the ranks of those applying for and got myself a great job, I'm even thinking career! I now work at TD Waterhouse as a Developing Investment Advisor. I say 'Developing" as it's a 3-year program training new hires to become a fully accredited investment advisor. Currently I'm half way through a 90-day training program, after which I begin building my books and acquiring assets to manage. I have always taken a keen interest in business and have loved being the centre of attention in social events so this position forces me to do both - and I will. Having passed my Canadian Securities Course and compliance programs, I am currently enrolled in Hedge Fund Management and BC Life Insurance courses, furthering my knowledge and ability to do the very best for my clients.
Training for triathlons this year has been totally awesome. With a few missed opportunities to compete in a few races, I only manged two all season. I did the North Shore sprint tri, finishing with a respectable time of 1:08 then trained very hard for my race of the season in Penticton, completing it in a personal best time of 2:26 (Olympic distance). What made that race so awesome was the support crew cheering me on. At almost every turn on the run, friends were rooting me on and on the bike course I would pass people I knew wishing them luck and then leave them in my dust!! haha!
The rest of my training this summer has been without a doubt the best times of my life. There were so many people around me to have fun with and so many good vibes always in the air, how could one not love getting on the bike or running in the trails for fun...
So here we go with the creme-de-la-creme of one day events... ok, it's not an ultra marathon or an ironman, but I'm working up to one of those... My buddy Ashley and I decided last year to 'up the ante' on our triple crown challenge to something insane this go around. On August 2nd, we set out at 6am from Park Royal and rode our bikes up Mount Seymour. At the top, we were met by Ashley's girlfriend and another friend to ditch the bikes and change into hiking gear. From there we all hiked to the 3rd peak of Seymour. Making our way back to the bikes, we saddled up and headed out to Cypress. The ride up Cypress Mountain was tough and we both could feel the grind coming before us. To the top we went and again, set out on foot to the peak of Mt. Strachan. A few photos later and a couple of high fives, we needed to high tail it to Grouse before the Grind gates closed at 7:30pm! Arriving by 7pm, we had done it - all we needed to do then was climb up a little trail. Bah... the Grind never felt so long in my life! We all slogged it up there and arrived at the top. We were pooped! All in all an amazing day with some great people. Next year is part 3 - what will be set out to do...?
Now with the summer wrapping up, a new chapter in my life is beginning. On September 1-5, I am once again riding my bike with the Cyclebetes team across BC. I am raising money for the ride and have recieved some great support from family and friends. This year's ride has more meaning that last year as I have been able to see exactly how diabetics live daily rather than just reading about it before last year's ride. They truely are inspirational people and the Cyclebetes group embraces that. We finish the ride in Cadboro Bay on September 5th and have a comunity ride in North Vancouver on September 4th. We're hoping for as many people as possible to come out and join in!
I have learned so much this year about myself, through challenges, emotions, setbacks and accomplishments and want thank those around me who have shared it. As I begin my professional career I will remind myself to take a step back, a moment out of each day, just to have a deep breath and enjoy what's going on! Carpe Diem.
Things in life happen for a reason - I'm a strong believer in that. I called up a friend to meet for coffee, show him my photos from travelling in Asia and the next thing I know, I've been offered an interview with someone in his company for a very coveted job. I went through the ranks of those applying for and got myself a great job, I'm even thinking career! I now work at TD Waterhouse as a Developing Investment Advisor. I say 'Developing" as it's a 3-year program training new hires to become a fully accredited investment advisor. Currently I'm half way through a 90-day training program, after which I begin building my books and acquiring assets to manage. I have always taken a keen interest in business and have loved being the centre of attention in social events so this position forces me to do both - and I will. Having passed my Canadian Securities Course and compliance programs, I am currently enrolled in Hedge Fund Management and BC Life Insurance courses, furthering my knowledge and ability to do the very best for my clients.
Training for triathlons this year has been totally awesome. With a few missed opportunities to compete in a few races, I only manged two all season. I did the North Shore sprint tri, finishing with a respectable time of 1:08 then trained very hard for my race of the season in Penticton, completing it in a personal best time of 2:26 (Olympic distance). What made that race so awesome was the support crew cheering me on. At almost every turn on the run, friends were rooting me on and on the bike course I would pass people I knew wishing them luck and then leave them in my dust!! haha!
The rest of my training this summer has been without a doubt the best times of my life. There were so many people around me to have fun with and so many good vibes always in the air, how could one not love getting on the bike or running in the trails for fun...
So here we go with the creme-de-la-creme of one day events... ok, it's not an ultra marathon or an ironman, but I'm working up to one of those... My buddy Ashley and I decided last year to 'up the ante' on our triple crown challenge to something insane this go around. On August 2nd, we set out at 6am from Park Royal and rode our bikes up Mount Seymour. At the top, we were met by Ashley's girlfriend and another friend to ditch the bikes and change into hiking gear. From there we all hiked to the 3rd peak of Seymour. Making our way back to the bikes, we saddled up and headed out to Cypress. The ride up Cypress Mountain was tough and we both could feel the grind coming before us. To the top we went and again, set out on foot to the peak of Mt. Strachan. A few photos later and a couple of high fives, we needed to high tail it to Grouse before the Grind gates closed at 7:30pm! Arriving by 7pm, we had done it - all we needed to do then was climb up a little trail. Bah... the Grind never felt so long in my life! We all slogged it up there and arrived at the top. We were pooped! All in all an amazing day with some great people. Next year is part 3 - what will be set out to do...?
Now with the summer wrapping up, a new chapter in my life is beginning. On September 1-5, I am once again riding my bike with the Cyclebetes team across BC. I am raising money for the ride and have recieved some great support from family and friends. This year's ride has more meaning that last year as I have been able to see exactly how diabetics live daily rather than just reading about it before last year's ride. They truely are inspirational people and the Cyclebetes group embraces that. We finish the ride in Cadboro Bay on September 5th and have a comunity ride in North Vancouver on September 4th. We're hoping for as many people as possible to come out and join in!
I have learned so much this year about myself, through challenges, emotions, setbacks and accomplishments and want thank those around me who have shared it. As I begin my professional career I will remind myself to take a step back, a moment out of each day, just to have a deep breath and enjoy what's going on! Carpe Diem.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Cyclebetes Fundraiser - ode to Speed Theory!
Last weekend I set things up at Speed Theory (amazing bike shop in Vancouver on 4th ave at Trafalger) and spun on my bike from 10:00am - 5:00pm to raise money for my Cyclebetes adventure this year. The day started off on a great note with my awesome girlfriend bringing two tupperware containers full of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to entice passer-byes to come on over. 
Once set up was done and the doors were open, I was on my bike spinning away at a constant 60 cadence. 60 is a very slow pace however when you're keeping it constant for 7 hours it begins to play games with your body! One of Speed Theory's Pro Riders, Facundo, spun with me for 4 hours! He did 3 of those at 93-98 rpm, putting me to shame. Nicole also got onto her bike, post 2 hour ride, for one more hour. Rob Herron, aka - The Door Man, bucked up and rode with me for an hour as well. He rode with me 2 weeks ago at Cap Mall and rocked it. People were really supportive throughout the day - I gotta give MAJOR props to the team at Speed Theory as they donated over $100 right at the start. They collected this money from running some spin classes over the past few weeks, charging $2 per person on a drop in basis. Overall, their contribution helped out big time.
People were dropping huge coin throughout the day. Mostly $10's and $20's and it stayed constant for the whole day bringing my grand total for the day to $365!
Thanks to all those that helped out and supported my ride that day making for a fun and supportive fundraiser.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Cyclebetes Capilano Mall & Speed Theory Fundraisers
To those that followed me last year, and those who are new to the scene this year, Cyclebetes 2010 is up and rolling bigger, stronger and with more people in 2010!I have planned 2 fundraising bike rides over the next 2 weeks to reach my goal of raising $2500 towards Juvenile Diabetes. So far I've had a positive response on these events but have lacked funds coming in. Here are the details for both bike rides:
Saturday, March 6th - 9:30am - 5:00pm - Capilano Mall
Located in the North East corner of Cap Mall, I will have lots of Cyclebetes signage set up, promotions from local stores and support from family and friends riding along side me all day long. This ride will engage as many of my North Shore friends and raise community awareness for our September 4th community Cyclebetes bike ride!
Saturday, March 13th - 10:00am - 5:00pm - Speed Theory Bike Shop - Vancouver
Speed Theory has jumped on board as a huge supporter of my Cyclebetes ride. On the 13th I will be riding all day long inside their store with support from other avid cyclists. The goal for this ride is to bring in new customers to their shop and show off the great gear and people inside! For the past year, Speed Theory has helped me SO much with all sorts of biking needs so if I can get YOU into their store so they can do the same for you then it's a match well made!
It'd be great to hear back from you if you're able to make it to either ride. You're more than welcome to jump onto a bike and ride with me at either location and I encourrage that you do so.
For more details on the entire Cyclebetes event and to support me in any way, check out:
http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=803&participantID=44656
See you on the bikes!!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Cyclebetes 2010 - Team British Columbia
As most of you know, last year I was part of the Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta teams, riding over 800km's in 7 days, both on my personal bike and on the tandem bike donated by Norco. Last year's event opened my eyes to the world those with type 1 diabetes live in and the struggles they incur each day of their life. Riding for Cyclebetes was more than just getting on the bike and pedaling from point A to point B, it was symbolic of moving forward to raise money to find a cure. Over the three weeks groups rode across Canada, they raised over $400,000, brought awareness to many issues through the media and sparked a keen interest with communities to help bring people together for such a great cause. By using a bike as the catalyst to bring awareness to an issue, many people jumped on board to ride with us and donate.
This year, I will be riding my bike as part of Team BC for Cyclebetes. From September 1-5, 2010, myself along with 4 other pairs will ride the tandem bike across the province and finish in Victoria to wrap up the event. So now I turn to you - I am asking for your support and donations to make this ride possible. My goal is to raise $2500 (and hopefully more) by June, 2010. I am currently working out a schedule of rides that will have me spinning inside shopping malls all afternoon raising money towards my goal. I have other initiatives on the go and will keep you all posted when they get confirmed.
In the meantime, your support of my ride and Cyclebetes' event is greatly appreciated. Please check out my link and help in any way you can.
http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=803&participantID=44656
Thank You.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Days 12 to 16 - Annapurna Circuit
Day 12: Kagbenni to Jomson
After such long days up to the Pass then what we encountered coming over it, having a second day of easy hiking wasn't such a bad idea. We were now totally walking on the road which was dusty, windy and didn't have the greatest of views. As we made it through the 4 or 5 hour walk, we came into this huge, open river delta that had endless amounts of rocks carrying fossils. For the next hour we all were picking up random rocks and smashing them open to find a treasure. Nic found an imprint of a plant but that was about it. It was fun but didn't show for anything. Into Jomsom it was - and Nic and mine's room even had a TV. I have to say that after eliminating that from my life for the past 3 1/2 months it was nice to wither away 2 hours of my life watching trash!! Good Times!
Day 13: Jomson to Kalopani
We were all very happy to get out of Jomsom as it was one of the least favourite places for each of us. There weren't really any places to see, the village seemed 'cold' and un-inviting and the people there never really peaked an interest for me. Take that experience then turn it around and show me the complete opposite - welcome to Marpha! This tiny little village in our journey to the next stop and we come across this small area with very old buildings, cobblestone walkways, a plethora of wood drying on house rooftops and so on... Marpha was a particularly quiet place and the locals were incredibly friendly and humble to have us walk through. We tasted some local apple brandy (of which I bought and now have in Vancouver if any of you would like to try some) and had a snack atop one of the residences. I highly recommend this place to future travellers as a place to stay a night or two instead of Jomsom as it's very close and you'll get a way better experience from the place.
Day 14: Kalopani to Tatopani
"Tato" means "hot" and "Pani" means "water" = Hot Water = Natural Hot Springs!! Oh ya, that's right... we were going to stay the night at a spot that has a natural hot spring for anyone passing by and with the few people on the trail at the time, we knew that it wouldn't be busy at all.
Passing though villages on the way we checked out a wedding ceremony. This must have been an arranged marriage as the bride was much younger than the groom. It was neat to see their traditions and how show respect and happiness for the couple. I would never go through with an arranged marriage so I can't say I was happy for these people, but hey, it's their system and their traditions so best of luck to them!
Day 15: Tatopani to Ghorepani
Up and up and up...and up some more! Today we began at the river's edge and we to climb for the entire leg of the day. It was switch back after switch back to get up the hillside and it was tough. With the past few days being very easy, I was excited to have another really tough day so on I went. The incline wasn't guelling but it was consistent. We agreed that today's hike was actually equivillant to FOUR Grouse Grinds. There were hundres of stairs, all uneven in length, height and distance apart from one another making for a tough few hours. We stopped in Sikha Valley for lunch. It's in the afternoon sunshine and was a great place to take off our boots and socks to dry them out while we ate. Of course I ordered Dal Bhat again and powered through it. I'm telling you that if any of you ever want to come over for dinner I will personally make and serve you this amazing dinner!
Into Ghorepani - done! We are just below 10,000 feet tonight and can see for miles from where we are. We have a spectacular view of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South mountain ranges and the tea hut that we're staying at is like a tree house. The wall are paper thin plywood, the ceiling slopes to one side of the house so when you go to have a shower you need to duck down and hunch over to get through and the main room has an awesome fireplace that warms up everyone in it! Great day and we're all happy!
Day 16: Poon Hill / Rest Day
Up at 4:45am and with headlamps on we set out the door for a quick 2 hour hike up to Poon Hill (3210 meters - or just over 10,000 feet). The viewpoint offers panoramic shots of the entire valley, Pokhara area and beyond everything for miles and miles! There was a bit of morning fog in the valley but it set a mood for the photos. It really looked as if we were floating on clouds because they were below us and it was crystal clear higher up. There might have been 100 people there and that is pretty low considering at peak season they have 500 or so each morning!
More to come ...
Day 13: Jomson to Kalopani
We were all very happy to get out of Jomsom as it was one of the least favourite places for each of us. There weren't really any places to see, the village seemed 'cold' and un-inviting and the people there never really peaked an interest for me. Take that experience then turn it around and show me the complete opposite - welcome to Marpha! This tiny little village in our journey to the next stop and we come across this small area with very old buildings, cobblestone walkways, a plethora of wood drying on house rooftops and so on... Marpha was a particularly quiet place and the locals were incredibly friendly and humble to have us walk through. We tasted some local apple brandy (of which I bought and now have in Vancouver if any of you would like to try some) and had a snack atop one of the residences. I highly recommend this place to future travellers as a place to stay a night or two instead of Jomsom as it's very close and you'll get a way better experience from the place.
Day 14: Kalopani to Tatopani
"Tato" means "hot" and "Pani" means "water" = Hot Water = Natural Hot Springs!! Oh ya, that's right... we were going to stay the night at a spot that has a natural hot spring for anyone passing by and with the few people on the trail at the time, we knew that it wouldn't be busy at all. Passing though villages on the way we checked out a wedding ceremony. This must have been an arranged marriage as the bride was much younger than the groom. It was neat to see their traditions and how show respect and happiness for the couple. I would never go through with an arranged marriage so I can't say I was happy for these people, but hey, it's their system and their traditions so best of luck to them!
Day 15: Tatopani to Ghorepani
Up and up and up...and up some more! Today we began at the river's edge and we to climb for the entire leg of the day. It was switch back after switch back to get up the hillside and it was tough. With the past few days being very easy, I was excited to have another really tough day so on I went. The incline wasn't guelling but it was consistent. We agreed that today's hike was actually equivillant to FOUR Grouse Grinds. There were hundres of stairs, all uneven in length, height and distance apart from one another making for a tough few hours. We stopped in Sikha Valley for lunch. It's in the afternoon sunshine and was a great place to take off our boots and socks to dry them out while we ate. Of course I ordered Dal Bhat again and powered through it. I'm telling you that if any of you ever want to come over for dinner I will personally make and serve you this amazing dinner!
Into Ghorepani - done! We are just below 10,000 feet tonight and can see for miles from where we are. We have a spectacular view of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South mountain ranges and the tea hut that we're staying at is like a tree house. The wall are paper thin plywood, the ceiling slopes to one side of the house so when you go to have a shower you need to duck down and hunch over to get through and the main room has an awesome fireplace that warms up everyone in it! Great day and we're all happy!
Day 16: Poon Hill / Rest Day
Up at 4:45am and with headlamps on we set out the door for a quick 2 hour hike up to Poon Hill (3210 meters - or just over 10,000 feet). The viewpoint offers panoramic shots of the entire valley, Pokhara area and beyond everything for miles and miles! There was a bit of morning fog in the valley but it set a mood for the photos. It really looked as if we were floating on clouds because they were below us and it was crystal clear higher up. There might have been 100 people there and that is pretty low considering at peak season they have 500 or so each morning!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Days 9 - 11: Annapurna Circuit
Day 9: Yak Kharka to High Camp
The morning started off with a heated relationship argument but once that was out of the way things settled down and we got hiking. We walked high above the river making our way higher and higher in elevation towards High Camp where we'd stay the night. So far we've all had very little effect to the altitude and have kept moving fairly quickley but today was a different story. The pace was about normal however we all could feel the beginning effects of going higher up. At lunch in Thorong Phedi Nic was mentioning she had a pretty bad headache so she went right onto Diamox, the altitude drug that balances out the body's pH levels to minimize the effects of altitude. In an hour or so things were feeling much better and the group decided to make the trek higher up one more hour to the circuit's High Camp, lodging at 4800 meters (15,744 feet) to spend the night. At a moment's notice if someone from the group were to show major signs of high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) or high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) we would pack up and hike back down to the village below and stay the night.
At the High Camp, I began to feel nauseated and had a wicked-bad headache, something that I hadn't experienced in a long time. Nic and I had an agreement that for this trip there were to be no 'tough guys' who would try to baby their symptoms if shown so I was up front in telling the group how felt and was honest in my emotions. Bill gave me some Diamox and we set a deadline as to how I was feeling and whether or not to stay or go. At 7pm that night I made the decision to stay at high camp as my symptoms were fading and I was feeling much better. I still don't know how bad I really was feeling but reading my journal excerpt from that night today it was clear that I wasn't feeling good and that I was showing signs of the HACE. None-the-less, the drugs worked very well and I got a well-rested night.
Day 10: Thorong-La Pass to Muktinath (Elevation at pass: 17, 764 feet)
What a day! I will remember this one for the rest of my life! We woke up at 4:30am practically dressed in our hiking gear from the night before as it was just too cold through the night to stay in normal sleeping gear. The temperature inside our rooms read -11 on Dave's barometer and we knew that it was going to get colder at the pass. A quick breakfast and check that all parties were feeling good enough for a 10 hour day and we were off. It took us 2 1/2 hours to make the 616 meter elevation gain to the pass. The trail was icy for part of the way and the wind really made for a cold face. We wore down jackets, gloves, hoods and scarfs to block as much of the wind as possible but it still sent chills down through our bones! Hiking to the pass was tough as there were a lot of false summits. This means that you continuously make it up to a clearing atop a hill and think that it's the end only to find more trail in front of you. None of the group members had looked online to see what the summit looks like so none of us had a clue what to expect.
We finally made it to the summit and were welcomed by a barrage of prayer flags and a plaque that congrtulated us on the accomplishment. The sun was shining, skies were totally clear, wind HOWLING and temperature was as close to rediculous as I've ever experienced (must have been -20 with the wind!). The feeling of making this pass was amazing and was made that much better because I was with the girl I love and some great friends to share the moment! Never had I ever thought of hiking this high so to check this one off my bucket list was a really cool thing. Lots of photos were taken (and are shared on my PICASA webpage) and around 9:30am we were ready to leave. Just at the moment another few hikers arrived and we welcomed them and cheered them on. Unfortunatly, one of the guys totally had some bad luck, slipped and twisted his leg on a sheet of ice. Right away Bill concluded that this guy showed signs of a spiral fracture of the fibula! Crap! A fractured leg on an icy summit pass where there's no chance of getting a helicopter to pick you up - AND an 1800 metre decent to the next village. On the brighter side, this guy couldn't have been luckier in the fact that he just fractured his leg in the presence of an ER doctor with other strong men around to help him down the mountain! The next few hours for me were grueling as I helped carry this guy partially down the trail. It was very icy in some sections and the grade of decent was unforgiving. I had on a pair of "Yak Trax" (strap on metal and rubber coils the to souls of shoes to give better traction in icy and snowy conditions) and had I not had them, my decent with this guy could have been much worse. Because of the blisters on my heels I was luckily carrying a roll of duct tape and with the tea hut beside us, there was enough wood to make a splint.
We were able to move our broken-leg friend Costa down nearly 600 vertical meters in just over 2 hours. By now it's around 12:30pm and sunny but all of us moving him were totally exhausted! Try moving someone down very technical terrain at altitude and let me know how you feel!
It was decided upon to send for help and leave Costa with warm sleeping gear, an emergency blanket, some food and water. Nic and Bill went to the village and set up help to come back up the mountain to rescue Costa. They did a great job doing this and were able to get the help we needed. As I arrived in the next village close to 4:30pm I was starving and ready to just lay flat out and go to bed. I got some food in me and recharged for the next hour before moving to Muktinath. Just as we all were leaving, we saw the Nepali Army running (yes, running!) up the trail towards us, then past us and up the trail towards the summit. In our brief conversation with them, they said they would get Costa and bring him down by stretcher. What a day! At dinner that night we all looked back on what had happened that day and knew that it would be a lasting experience for all us of.
Day 11: Muktinath to Kagbeni
We needed to do our 'rounds' in the village to make sure all of Bill's patients were alive and well. We checked in on Costa and heard that he and his mates got to the village around midnight, were very cold and very hungry but were alive and well. There was a Korean man, about 25 years old, that had a seriously bad case of neumonia that Bill had diagnosed the night before and thought he might not make it through the night - he was alive and had an increased breathing rate and was being sent to Jomsom's hospital and eventually home to recover. Then his last patient was a British woman who Bill gave Diamox to as the altitude was really affecting her on the hike. She was good and was smiling. So, with the medical rounds done and our belly's full from breakfast, the hike must go on - so on we went!
Kagbeni is one of those villages that we thought would be just another place to see and another place to rest our heads for the night but as we got closer and more into the 'guts' of the village, all of us were very surprised and excited to explore more of its streets. The streets were amazing, the buildings from a few hundred years ago and the people very humble and helpful. There were rock terraces on each property and cows just roaming the streets in the middle of the day. Women were roasting seeds on an open fire in the road and monks were chanting in their monestaries above the houses, all giving the village a truely unique experience. Out of all of the villages so far, Kagbeni has been my favourite.
The morning started off with a heated relationship argument but once that was out of the way things settled down and we got hiking. We walked high above the river making our way higher and higher in elevation towards High Camp where we'd stay the night. So far we've all had very little effect to the altitude and have kept moving fairly quickley but today was a different story. The pace was about normal however we all could feel the beginning effects of going higher up. At lunch in Thorong Phedi Nic was mentioning she had a pretty bad headache so she went right onto Diamox, the altitude drug that balances out the body's pH levels to minimize the effects of altitude. In an hour or so things were feeling much better and the group decided to make the trek higher up one more hour to the circuit's High Camp, lodging at 4800 meters (15,744 feet) to spend the night. At a moment's notice if someone from the group were to show major signs of high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) or high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) we would pack up and hike back down to the village below and stay the night.
At the High Camp, I began to feel nauseated and had a wicked-bad headache, something that I hadn't experienced in a long time. Nic and I had an agreement that for this trip there were to be no 'tough guys' who would try to baby their symptoms if shown so I was up front in telling the group how felt and was honest in my emotions. Bill gave me some Diamox and we set a deadline as to how I was feeling and whether or not to stay or go. At 7pm that night I made the decision to stay at high camp as my symptoms were fading and I was feeling much better. I still don't know how bad I really was feeling but reading my journal excerpt from that night today it was clear that I wasn't feeling good and that I was showing signs of the HACE. None-the-less, the drugs worked very well and I got a well-rested night.
Day 10: Thorong-La Pass to Muktinath (Elevation at pass: 17, 764 feet)
We finally made it to the summit and were welcomed by a barrage of prayer flags and a plaque that congrtulated us on the accomplishment. The sun was shining, skies were totally clear, wind HOWLING and temperature was as close to rediculous as I've ever experienced (must have been -20 with the wind!). The feeling of making this pass was amazing and was made that much better because I was with the girl I love and some great friends to share the moment! Never had I ever thought of hiking this high so to check this one off my bucket list was a really cool thing. Lots of photos were taken (and are shared on my PICASA webpage) and around 9:30am we were ready to leave. Just at the moment another few hikers arrived and we welcomed them and cheered them on. Unfortunatly, one of the guys totally had some bad luck, slipped and twisted his leg on a sheet of ice. Right away Bill concluded that this guy showed signs of a spiral fracture of the fibula! Crap! A fractured leg on an icy summit pass where there's no chance of getting a helicopter to pick you up - AND an 1800 metre decent to the next village. On the brighter side, this guy couldn't have been luckier in the fact that he just fractured his leg in the presence of an ER doctor with other strong men around to help him down the mountain! The next few hours for me were grueling as I helped carry this guy partially down the trail. It was very icy in some sections and the grade of decent was unforgiving. I had on a pair of "Yak Trax" (strap on metal and rubber coils the to souls of shoes to give better traction in icy and snowy conditions) and had I not had them, my decent with this guy could have been much worse. Because of the blisters on my heels I was luckily carrying a roll of duct tape and with the tea hut beside us, there was enough wood to make a splint. 
It was decided upon to send for help and leave Costa with warm sleeping gear, an emergency blanket, some food and water. Nic and Bill went to the village and set up help to come back up the mountain to rescue Costa. They did a great job doing this and were able to get the help we needed. As I arrived in the next village close to 4:30pm I was starving and ready to just lay flat out and go to bed. I got some food in me and recharged for the next hour before moving to Muktinath. Just as we all were leaving, we saw the Nepali Army running (yes, running!) up the trail towards us, then past us and up the trail towards the summit. In our brief conversation with them, they said they would get Costa and bring him down by stretcher. What a day! At dinner that night we all looked back on what had happened that day and knew that it would be a lasting experience for all us of.
Day 11: Muktinath to Kagbeni
We needed to do our 'rounds' in the village to make sure all of Bill's patients were alive and well. We checked in on Costa and heard that he and his mates got to the village around midnight, were very cold and very hungry but were alive and well. There was a Korean man, about 25 years old, that had a seriously bad case of neumonia that Bill had diagnosed the night before and thought he might not make it through the night - he was alive and had an increased breathing rate and was being sent to Jomsom's hospital and eventually home to recover. Then his last patient was a British woman who Bill gave Diamox to as the altitude was really affecting her on the hike. She was good and was smiling. So, with the medical rounds done and our belly's full from breakfast, the hike must go on - so on we went!
Kagbeni is one of those villages that we thought would be just another place to see and another place to rest our heads for the night but as we got closer and more into the 'guts' of the village, all of us were very surprised and excited to explore more of its streets. The streets were amazing, the buildings from a few hundred years ago and the people very humble and helpful. There were rock terraces on each property and cows just roaming the streets in the middle of the day. Women were roasting seeds on an open fire in the road and monks were chanting in their monestaries above the houses, all giving the village a truely unique experience. Out of all of the villages so far, Kagbeni has been my favourite.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Days 5-8 - Annapurna Circuit
Day 5: Chame to Lower Pisang (Distance: (Elevation 3250m))
After a great sleep last night the brisk morning woke us up right away. Temperatures were now starting our day around the minus 5 mark and soon will be dropping lower as we climb higher. Breakfasts were now taking a regular menu and each of us were ordering the same things - muesli, porridge and a buckwheat pancake instead of toast. The terrain today wasn't super steep but we always were climbing. It was a slog of a walk today and for the 6-7 hours we went, things just pressed on and on.
As we made our way parallel to the river, the mountains grew larger and became more spectacular every step of the way. Before we stopped for lunch, I looked at my GPS and it was reading over the 10,000 foot mark - hooray! Almost at the same landmark, we were passing a Japanese memorial paid to those who've lost their lives climbing for their country in Nepal's mountain. The memorials seemed to just have sprung up and were in a peaceful area surrounded by trees as the sunshine cast shadows over their memorials. As a tribute, passer-bye's would stop and give a moment of silence to pay their respects. So many people have lost their lives on these mountains and they've paved the way to new explorations so we can follow in their paths.
Continuing on to our destination for the night, the paths were totally clear and were like walking on a park trail in Stanley Park. Our tea hut this night was great - we had a great view of Upper Pisang, this medieval-style village that scaled the hillside and offered centuries worth of history from those living there. It would be part of our walk the next day...
Day 6: Lower Pisang to Manang (Distance: 19.75km (Elevation 3540m))
Today was by far our hardest day as right from the get go we were climbing. With frost on the tin roofs and jackets zipped up to stay warm, we made off for the hike. We went up through Upper Pisang to see all the ancient architecture and prayer wheels that sprung up through much of the village. What a gorgeous place, something that none of of had expected from this hike! After passing through Upper Pisang we continued up the hill so a series of switchbacks that moved us from the Marsyandi River all the way up to a monestary at Ghyaru, 11,500 feet. We had been climbing straight up for almost 2 hours on a trail similar to the one that takes you up to Garibaldi and Black Tusk. Stopping for dude chhia (milk tea) at the monestary, we got some great photos.
After our tea we pressed on, up and up and up - and more up, then some down, then some flats, right into Manang. There was this one area where we both saw a vulture and got a great shot of Nic (and might I add it's now her Blog backdrop photo...haha). Passing bye views of Gangapurna, Tilcho Peak and both Annapurna 2 & 3 we rolled into Ngawal where Surya and Nic helped make the momo's they'd ordered for lunch. This is unlike many Nepali families to offer guests into their kitchen but this time they did and it was with gratitude they accepted and went for it.
7 hours after we started for the day, we rolled into Manang and called it a day (for 2). Here we would spend the next 48 hours acclimatizing for the push over the next 2 1/2 days. With a good rest and hike planned for tomorrow Day 6 ends...
We came back down to have a bite to eat then set off for another walk around Manang to see what it's all about and we came across a great lake called Gangapurna Lake. It was obviously glacier-fed and had a pristine aqua colour to it. On one side there were huge hulu's formed from years of erosion giving this small puddle some real character. To give the area some perspective, you can see how small we are in the photo compared to all that was around us...
The wind was howling today and I still can't understand WHY generators aren't used here to foster power from it... it is a developing country so in a few years I hope they get it straight! Today's hike wasn't too bad - a little up, a little down - you know. You can really feel the drop in temperature now as we're well above the 10,000 ft mark and as we make our way further up into alpine territory the down jackets and tuques come out. Nothing too exciting here except for I saw my first YAK. I heard stories of how large they are and until you see one face to face you can't fathom their size (and how much hair they have). Not only did we see the yaks, we say Blue Sheep and spotted deer, all of which are specific to these altitudes and climate. So with a warm fire, good company and more card games, Day 8 finished and the real fun begins tomorrow where we climb to Thorong Phedi or possible to High Camp, depending on how we all feel with the altitude...
As we made our way parallel to the river, the mountains grew larger and became more spectacular every step of the way. Before we stopped for lunch, I looked at my GPS and it was reading over the 10,000 foot mark - hooray! Almost at the same landmark, we were passing a Japanese memorial paid to those who've lost their lives climbing for their country in Nepal's mountain. The memorials seemed to just have sprung up and were in a peaceful area surrounded by trees as the sunshine cast shadows over their memorials. As a tribute, passer-bye's would stop and give a moment of silence to pay their respects. So many people have lost their lives on these mountains and they've paved the way to new explorations so we can follow in their paths.Continuing on to our destination for the night, the paths were totally clear and were like walking on a park trail in Stanley Park. Our tea hut this night was great - we had a great view of Upper Pisang, this medieval-style village that scaled the hillside and offered centuries worth of history from those living there. It would be part of our walk the next day...
Day 6: Lower Pisang to Manang (Distance: 19.75km (Elevation 3540m))
Today was by far our hardest day as right from the get go we were climbing. With frost on the tin roofs and jackets zipped up to stay warm, we made off for the hike. We went up through Upper Pisang to see all the ancient architecture and prayer wheels that sprung up through much of the village. What a gorgeous place, something that none of of had expected from this hike! After passing through Upper Pisang we continued up the hill so a series of switchbacks that moved us from the Marsyandi River all the way up to a monestary at Ghyaru, 11,500 feet. We had been climbing straight up for almost 2 hours on a trail similar to the one that takes you up to Garibaldi and Black Tusk. Stopping for dude chhia (milk tea) at the monestary, we got some great photos.
After our tea we pressed on, up and up and up - and more up, then some down, then some flats, right into Manang. There was this one area where we both saw a vulture and got a great shot of Nic (and might I add it's now her Blog backdrop photo...haha). Passing bye views of Gangapurna, Tilcho Peak and both Annapurna 2 & 3 we rolled into Ngawal where Surya and Nic helped make the momo's they'd ordered for lunch. This is unlike many Nepali families to offer guests into their kitchen but this time they did and it was with gratitude they accepted and went for it.
7 hours after we started for the day, we rolled into Manang and called it a day (for 2). Here we would spend the next 48 hours acclimatizing for the push over the next 2 1/2 days. With a good rest and hike planned for tomorrow Day 6 ends...Day 7: Acclimatization Day in Manang:
A morning sunrise at 5:30 with my tripod and SLR camera started my day. We had a local hike planned today to get used to hiking at altitude and exerting lots of effort. There was a gompa behind the tea hut and it took us just over 30 minutes to climb to it. The whole team made it with no problems and we even had some energy left over for some laughs! Ya, that's right... Bill IS wearing his face mask as a thong.
We came back down to have a bite to eat then set off for another walk around Manang to see what it's all about and we came across a great lake called Gangapurna Lake. It was obviously glacier-fed and had a pristine aqua colour to it. On one side there were huge hulu's formed from years of erosion giving this small puddle some real character. To give the area some perspective, you can see how small we are in the photo compared to all that was around us...Day 8: Manang to Yak Kharka (Distance: not much (Elevation: LOTS - 4022m)).
The wind was howling today and I still can't understand WHY generators aren't used here to foster power from it... it is a developing country so in a few years I hope they get it straight! Today's hike wasn't too bad - a little up, a little down - you know. You can really feel the drop in temperature now as we're well above the 10,000 ft mark and as we make our way further up into alpine territory the down jackets and tuques come out. Nothing too exciting here except for I saw my first YAK. I heard stories of how large they are and until you see one face to face you can't fathom their size (and how much hair they have). Not only did we see the yaks, we say Blue Sheep and spotted deer, all of which are specific to these altitudes and climate. So with a warm fire, good company and more card games, Day 8 finished and the real fun begins tomorrow where we climb to Thorong Phedi or possible to High Camp, depending on how we all feel with the altitude...Days 1-4 - Annapurna Circuit
Day 1: Bhule Bhule (Elevation 840m)It took us 6 hours by private bus to drive from Kathmandu to Beshishar, our launch point for the start of this trip. Once we were dropped off, we then switched all our gear onto a local bus where we drove on a dirt road for another hour. The road was narrow, very bumpy and had steep cliffs on one side - no mistakes were wanted here!
Tonight we stayed at the Everest Guest House and it was just us and one other guest. During peak trekking season, on any given day there might be 300 to 350 registered hikers going into the Annapurna Region for the circuit - the day we registered there were 13 plus us... needless to say, we felt as if we were the only ones out there which was awesome!
Day 2: Bhule Bhule to Jagot (20km - Elevation (1260m)
We got up at 6am, warm, well-rested and HUNGRY! We were served black tea and continuously offered more food, as it's the Nepali way to be as studious as possible. Now let the hike begin - we crossed our first supension bridge and started walking. The village of Bhule Bhule was very cool as it was both our first glance at mountain-side Nepali living, and showed us the stonework used to build their homes and walkways. Everything was very old and the villagers were always working on something. 
For the next 2 hours we walked along the hillside where there had been a landslide, it took out one of the roads and made for some tricky passings us. The workers were throwing rocks from above and whistling to each other to stop when hikers were close by. I'm guessing that the landslide took out the main bridge for hikers and that this makeshift one was put up. We crossed it then made our way back up an insane hour-long hill climb. Strolling into our tea hut in the late afternoon, we wound down with a game of cribbage, a Gorkha beer and discussed how we were going to do the next few days where the elevation gain gets increased!Day 3: Jagot to Dharapani (18 km - Elevation 1800m)
Our guide Surya must have been playing a joke on us with the route as we would climb for hours, have a break, then decend for an hour of steep terrain, another break for lunch then haul ourselves back up another hill... Today was no exception. After switchbacking ourselves down the route, we came to a riverside village called Tal Phedi and had some lunch. Nic had been carrying balloons with her since the beginning and brought one out for a child at lunch. He was so happy and played with it for all of our lunch with his grandfather.
So back onto the trail on into our last few hours of hiking this day. Was crossed this spectacular suspension bridge that had mindblowing views of the mountains from the valley that we were in and set itself up as just a very nice spot to stop and take a minute to soak it all in. Arriving at the tea house for the night, Bill and I ate Dal Bhat then the group played a mean game of "O Hell." Bill scored 153, Nic scored 138, Dave 116... and me, well, lets just say I was learning tonight!
Day 4: Dharapani to Chame (16.5km - Elevation 2688m)What a hike today...wow! Not too technical but we got our first real closeup view of an 8000'er - Manasalu (8,156m (8th highest in the world)). To see one of these mountains so close put so many things into perspective. Forget that we're standing at nearly 8500 feet ourselves, this behemouth of a mountain just stared at us and called out greatness. Imagine being in the centre of a valley and having the sun shine right onto the snow cap of Manasalu's peak at a quarter past 6 in the morning... what a sight to wake up to! Check out the picture below!
Chame was a beautiful spot to call home for the one night. Bill and I tried a local rice wine called Chhangy, which is equivillant to some homemade moonshine but stronger! One cup and I was slurring my speech and feeling great. The other part that made for such a great night was that the owners offered each of us FRESH yak momo's (like dumplings). These baby's were fresh as two yaks had been 'relived' of their duties earlier that day and prepared for dinner that night. SOOOO GOOD! More Dal Bhat for dinner then off to Pisang tomorrow....
Monday, December 28, 2009
My Nepal Journey Ends and my Vancouver One Begins!
Phew... I haven't blogged in a while and I've been getting rather ancy to tell YOU all about what's been going on these past few weeks.So first off, I'm back in Vancouver, have settled into my new home in West Van and am piecing together the life that I had prior to leaving and getting going for 2010 with a BANG! I am very excited to see what happens this year as Nepal gave me a chance to really think about what I've done, where I am and where I want to be. It was an experience of a lifetime that I am so incredibly thankful for!
So what's next:
I'm going to tell you all about our trek through the Annapurna Circuit and the last 6 weeks in Nepal - the protests, political situation, having to fly out early from Kathmandu, photos and so on... I'm going to break the trek down into a few different parts so you don't have blogs that are too 'heavy' to digest.
Where I stand for 2010 - what some of my goals are (so YOU can keep me accountable) and how I see the year playing out. After spending 109 days travelling in totally foreign cities than what I'm used to, I have gained a completely new perspective on personal values and thoughts on day-to-day living, helping me carry myself as a much more well-rounded person (eliminating a lot of the BS that goes on (and has gone on) in my life).
I would love all of YOUR feedback on these blogs as I'm going to give the straight goods and tell things how I saw them. It's all about learning isn't it, so your honest feedback is very welcomed!
Until then....
Friday, November 27, 2009
And We're Off...
SO... ladies and gentlemen, as my placement finishes my second leg of the race starts. I have had an amazing time with the kids at my placement and have enjoyed listening to ALL the successes that have come from others at the house. It truely has been a trip of a lifetime thus far!
Tomorrow our trek begins. We are up at the crack of dawn for a 7 hour bus ride to stop #1 - Beshishar. Communication is very limited and there won't be time for any blogs along the trek but let me reassure you that when we get back, multiple posts and photos will be ready to go.
The trek will include my awesome girlfriend Nicole, her dad, his doctor buddy Dave, our guide and two porters. The highest pass scheduled is Throng-La at a tad under 5500 meters (18,000 feet). I am gitty just thinking about the hike and can't wait to get things rolling, but right now I need to catch some shut eye.
I look forward to catching up with all of you when we get home.
Ps: A huge shout out to Meyrick Jones, Kris Schelderup and the Innovative Fitness team in Port Moody. Your facility looks awesome and business will treat you well. Good luck guys and I can't wait to come check things out.
Nameste!!
Tomorrow our trek begins. We are up at the crack of dawn for a 7 hour bus ride to stop #1 - Beshishar. Communication is very limited and there won't be time for any blogs along the trek but let me reassure you that when we get back, multiple posts and photos will be ready to go.
The trek will include my awesome girlfriend Nicole, her dad, his doctor buddy Dave, our guide and two porters. The highest pass scheduled is Throng-La at a tad under 5500 meters (18,000 feet). I am gitty just thinking about the hike and can't wait to get things rolling, but right now I need to catch some shut eye.
I look forward to catching up with all of you when we get home.
Ps: A huge shout out to Meyrick Jones, Kris Schelderup and the Innovative Fitness team in Port Moody. Your facility looks awesome and business will treat you well. Good luck guys and I can't wait to come check things out.
Nameste!!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Photo Updates!
After hearing back from all of you, I've fixed the photo problem on my Blog. On the right-hand column you'll see a spot for my updated photo album. I've made sure it all works so this time we're good to go.
Hope you ENJOY!
Hope you ENJOY!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Just Checking IN....
I've gotten some feedback from readers that some of you haven't been able to check out my photos on PICASA (Google's photo viewer website) so I wanted your feedback. Two things:
1: Please email me at Steve.Bell.Irving@gmail.com letting me know you're getting my blog posts
2: A 'Yes' or 'No' on whether or not you have been able to view my photos.
I'm hoping that it was just a select few that had the problem but if not, then I'll fix things.
Placement is 1/2 done already and the days are just flying bye. Hope all is well for YOU back home and that you'r all getting dressed up for Halloween!
1: Please email me at Steve.Bell.Irving@gmail.com letting me know you're getting my blog posts
2: A 'Yes' or 'No' on whether or not you have been able to view my photos.
I'm hoping that it was just a select few that had the problem but if not, then I'll fix things.
Placement is 1/2 done already and the days are just flying bye. Hope all is well for YOU back home and that you'r all getting dressed up for Halloween!
Friday, October 23, 2009
My Placement - Patan Community Based Rehabilitation Centre
After writing so many blogs about my activities each weekend, it was about time that I write about what actually brought me here to Nepal - volunteering. Thanks to my support crew at the West Vancouver Little League, I was able to come to Nepal 2 months prior to my planned trip here in November to volunteer with a Canadian-based organization called Volunteers Abroad.
I have been placed at a community rehabilitation centre for children with physical and mental disabilites. Having very little grasp of the Nepali language, I have found that interacting with these kids, especially their teachers, challenging to say the least but so far very rewarding! Each morning their bus arrives at 10:30am and 15 or so kids unload down a very rocky road to the placement. Some kids need help either in their wheelchair or just a helping hand to walk, while others can mosey down the path and start the day's lessons. After all the kids are there, the group sings the Nepali national anthem, a few nursery rhymes then a simple prayer. Let the day begin!
Right now I am working with the group's most disabled kids. There are 10 or so kids in our class and their challenges range from autism to cerebral palsey to severe musclular and skeletal deformations as well as very limited cognitive capacities. With the limited resources available to the centre, our class is very basic. Each morning we do role call, work on the ABC's and 1,2,3's then try to recite children's songs and clap our hands. When lunch comes around, I feed one child. Each day I try to work with a different one but I've taken a liking to one girl with CP because her smile lights up the room! Her name is Surina and she is non-verbal and loves to draw circles and follow connect the dot patterns. We've been working on her motor skills and response to verbal cues such as, "high five" "left hand / right hand" and "come here (from her chair)." Yesterday and today were successful days as we climbed two flights of stairs together - she can't get up stairs on her own and has a tough time with support.
I see myself (and the other volunteer from our house) trying to help out in a way that will be simple to follow and leave a legacy. We have come up with a few suggestions for the staff at the centre work on each day in the hopes that when we leave, they will be running their facility in a much more efficient manor. Here are our suggestions:
1. A daily agenda from when classes start to when classes finish. Currently the teachers just come into class unprepared and rip out a sheet of paper and do the same thing over and over with each student.
2. Progress reports with each student. Currently their monitoring system is done once a year and with very little professional input. Our hope for this is to teach each teacher the basics of keeping track of student's progress through weekly report cards and group reviews.
3. A volunteer handbook - this placement gets a lot of volunteers through its doors and for some reason they either leave or end up just playing with the kids because there's no system set up for when they arrive. We want to draft up a very simple first week program as well as have each studen't profile up-to-date so they have all pertinent information to do the best job possible.
I know that there are plenty of other things we could try to help out with however if we make goals that are too lofty then we're setting ourselves up for failure. My partner and I have 6 more weeks at this placement and have made great headway on improving Patan CBR's methods.
The placement has been a lot of fun so far, even with the mayhem we've gotten ourselves into! The kids are great, I'm learning so much about working with children with diabilities and the whole time getting to help out an organization that would benefit from my knowledge in the anatomy and physiology field.
I have been placed at a community rehabilitation centre for children with physical and mental disabilites. Having very little grasp of the Nepali language, I have found that interacting with these kids, especially their teachers, challenging to say the least but so far very rewarding! Each morning their bus arrives at 10:30am and 15 or so kids unload down a very rocky road to the placement. Some kids need help either in their wheelchair or just a helping hand to walk, while others can mosey down the path and start the day's lessons. After all the kids are there, the group sings the Nepali national anthem, a few nursery rhymes then a simple prayer. Let the day begin!
Right now I am working with the group's most disabled kids. There are 10 or so kids in our class and their challenges range from autism to cerebral palsey to severe musclular and skeletal deformations as well as very limited cognitive capacities. With the limited resources available to the centre, our class is very basic. Each morning we do role call, work on the ABC's and 1,2,3's then try to recite children's songs and clap our hands. When lunch comes around, I feed one child. Each day I try to work with a different one but I've taken a liking to one girl with CP because her smile lights up the room! Her name is Surina and she is non-verbal and loves to draw circles and follow connect the dot patterns. We've been working on her motor skills and response to verbal cues such as, "high five" "left hand / right hand" and "come here (from her chair)." Yesterday and today were successful days as we climbed two flights of stairs together - she can't get up stairs on her own and has a tough time with support.
I see myself (and the other volunteer from our house) trying to help out in a way that will be simple to follow and leave a legacy. We have come up with a few suggestions for the staff at the centre work on each day in the hopes that when we leave, they will be running their facility in a much more efficient manor. Here are our suggestions:
1. A daily agenda from when classes start to when classes finish. Currently the teachers just come into class unprepared and rip out a sheet of paper and do the same thing over and over with each student.
2. Progress reports with each student. Currently their monitoring system is done once a year and with very little professional input. Our hope for this is to teach each teacher the basics of keeping track of student's progress through weekly report cards and group reviews.
3. A volunteer handbook - this placement gets a lot of volunteers through its doors and for some reason they either leave or end up just playing with the kids because there's no system set up for when they arrive. We want to draft up a very simple first week program as well as have each studen't profile up-to-date so they have all pertinent information to do the best job possible.
I know that there are plenty of other things we could try to help out with however if we make goals that are too lofty then we're setting ourselves up for failure. My partner and I have 6 more weeks at this placement and have made great headway on improving Patan CBR's methods.
The placement has been a lot of fun so far, even with the mayhem we've gotten ourselves into! The kids are great, I'm learning so much about working with children with diabilities and the whole time getting to help out an organization that would benefit from my knowledge in the anatomy and physiology field.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Chitwan National Park
Sorry for the weird layout of the blog but for some reason I can't align things up. Enjoy anyways!
So a post that actually has some photos rather than YOU having to click on a link to see what we're doing on the opposite side of the globe (to see all of our pics from this trip click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq) haha!
The following day we set out on a jungle tour by foot looking for Rhinos and Tigers. Notta, zilch, zero! We did come across a group of monkeys, a tarantula and a few spotted deer. None-the-less, the walk was really cool because of the iminent dangers, we had to walk as quietly as possible and were direted by hand signals from our guide. It added a touch of realization to the walk and made for a very exciting 3 hours. Almost as soon as we arrived back to our resort, we were beckoned into the river with our guide for one of the coolest experiences I've ever had - elephant bathing! They had us climb onto these guys bareback and try to stay on for as long as possible. You get an idea of how tough it was with the four of us on this guy trying to stay on for as long as possible.
We went for lunch, had a few hours to relax then it was showtime once again. We got into groups of 4 and took off on a group elephant ride. We were about 8 feet up from the ground and on top of an elephant - who wouldn't make a face like Nic?
About 30 minutes into the walk we came into a grassy meadow with at least 20 other elephants. To our surprise, there were 3 rhinos just kicking it, eating away at what was left of the tall grass. Cameras were flashing like crazy, people were making noise and there was a ton of chit chat, yet these rhinos didn't mind. We got lots of really cool photos with them - an NO, nobody got out of their elephant seats and walked around!
On our final morning, our group went out on a canoe trip down the river and back to our village. As I mentioned before, crocodiles roam the waters yet are seldomly seen during the day. Coming off of a straight away section of the river and with a section of still water on one side, there it was - a salt water crocodile, a man eater, the big kahuna! It was poking its eyes out at us to see if we were tasty enough to take a run at. This time it wasn't the croc's day and it let us not only pass, but turn around and pass again with our cameras perched snapping away!! I've seen crocs before in Mexico but this was pretty cool knowing that this species of croc is one of the largest in the world!
So a post that actually has some photos rather than YOU having to click on a link to see what we're doing on the opposite side of the globe (to see all of our pics from this trip click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq) haha!
The following day we set out on a jungle tour by foot looking for Rhinos and Tigers. Notta, zilch, zero! We did come across a group of monkeys, a tarantula and a few spotted deer. None-the-less, the walk was really cool because of the iminent dangers, we had to walk as quietly as possible and were direted by hand signals from our guide. It added a touch of realization to the walk and made for a very exciting 3 hours. Almost as soon as we arrived back to our resort, we were beckoned into the river with our guide for one of the coolest experiences I've ever had - elephant bathing! They had us climb onto these guys bareback and try to stay on for as long as possible. You get an idea of how tough it was with the four of us on this guy trying to stay on for as long as possible. 
We went for lunch, had a few hours to relax then it was showtime once again. We got into groups of 4 and took off on a group elephant ride. We were about 8 feet up from the ground and on top of an elephant - who wouldn't make a face like Nic?
About 30 minutes into the walk we came into a grassy meadow with at least 20 other elephants. To our surprise, there were 3 rhinos just kicking it, eating away at what was left of the tall grass. Cameras were flashing like crazy, people were making noise and there was a ton of chit chat, yet these rhinos didn't mind. We got lots of really cool photos with them - an NO, nobody got out of their elephant seats and walked around!Once back at the resort, the sun was setting and made for an amazing sunset. Nic and I ran as fast as we could to get the million dollar picture but missed the sun over the horizon by two or three minutes. The photo we got is good but doesn't do what we saw justice.
On our final morning, our group went out on a canoe trip down the river and back to our village. As I mentioned before, crocodiles roam the waters yet are seldomly seen during the day. Coming off of a straight away section of the river and with a section of still water on one side, there it was - a salt water crocodile, a man eater, the big kahuna! It was poking its eyes out at us to see if we were tasty enough to take a run at. This time it wasn't the croc's day and it let us not only pass, but turn around and pass again with our cameras perched snapping away!! I've seen crocs before in Mexico but this was pretty cool knowing that this species of croc is one of the largest in the world!
So that's it for Chitwan. The trip was a ton of fun and our guide made for an awesome trip. I would recommend this part of Nepal to everyone who comes to this country as it's now marked as one of my favourite places travelled!!
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